How to calm down right before performing???

March 24, 2017 at 02:27 PM · This is a complex topic. I personally like the Bulletproof Musician recommendations: LINK

March 24, 2017 at 03:26 PM · My piano teacher came up with this:

This exercise requires several minutes of concentration, demanding total stillness of body with only mental directives at work. It is recommended to do it in front of the mirror so you can observe the subtle changes in your posture including the achievement of perfect alignment of head, back and the whole body.

Stand at ease with feet slightly apart. Concentrate attention on the spine, commanding it to lengthen. However, not through movement but mental directive. By now, you should experience the sensation of the head being lifted gently and placed on the last vertebrae, bringing head, neck and body into perfect alignment. It should correct any imbalance in you posture.

Exhale very slowly whispering "haaaaaaaa" as long as possible. Be aware of shoulders lowering, a state of relaxation in the diaphragm area (the solar plexus where we all experience fear and emotion), the arms getting longer and heavier, with great deal of arm weight flowing into the hands.

Concentrate attention on knees and ankles: imagine them very supple and flexible. You should experience the strange sensation of lightness as if the body is floating. Such state is the perfect state of balance of the body, totally liberated of any tensions.

March 24, 2017 at 03:31 PM · I use beta blockers.

March 24, 2017 at 04:10 PM · My piano teacher wouldn't like that.

March 24, 2017 at 04:12 PM · I think the best things are

1. experience performing: If you go onstage for a competition without having performed your piece several times in public (such as retirement homes, classmates, masterclasses, etc), then you have not fully prepared and have an unrealistic idea of what it takes. In which case, you SHOULD be nervous.

2. a warmup routine: you need to develop SOMETHING. It could be deep breathing or stretching or whatever. It probably doesn't matter as long as it becomes your routine. I like scales, especially very high positions. Long slow bows. Maybe your favorite etude or showpiece. Each to his own.

The nerves may eventually subside, at least to the point that you can feel like you're making music. If they never do (a possibility for many, if not most) then you have to decide whether you can still tolerate performance.

March 24, 2017 at 05:22 PM · The violin is especially susceptible to any nuance compared to say, a piano. My point is a person playing piano might have an easier time of it. Strings don't go out of tune and you don't need to hold it while moving a bow. My opinion is that violin is a difficult instrument to play if you aren't fairly calm compared to many others.

What lies at the base of the nervousness? This is the thing you want to attack first. Then there's the mentality you have while playing.You can play in the present, look ahead or dwell on the past. Never look in the past while playing. Determine to think about this after the performance.Determine ahead of time that any potential mistake is in the past since you are playing progressively. The truth is most of the audience won't notice it, however, if you look back you're taking the energy you could use to look forward and open yourself up to further mistakes.Play your best RIGHT NOW while looking ahead.

Another thing that can drain us in live performance is caring too much about the externals and about people. How much did you care about others opinions in any choices you've made? Are you independent? Any wise person will respect other professional opinions while using that knowledge and help, however,when you perform none of that matters. Why? Because you've already determined your direction through intense preparation.The decisions have already been made and you're now following through with it. When you perform thinking about what so and so thinks it will only take away the mental energy and prowess you need.

Think about the plan you've made, play in the now and look ahead,become momentarily insensitive to external judgment realizing that there's no point in caring about it then.

I play other instruments and I play every week.I have for years. I've only played the violin a few times in public since I'm in my first year. Even I was able to do it with this mentality.You are in control. You take the reigns.Don't allow something else to distract you. This brings about a great inner calm.

Treat your body well and it will repay you. No strong drinks or excessive amounts of caffeine before you go on.

March 24, 2017 at 05:56 PM · Have a plan to deal with the physical side-effects of being nervous. And practice those things.

March 24, 2017 at 06:00 PM · Good point Lydia. You can't prevent the adrenaline rush. Your spine may stiffen, your neck tense, your heart pound - that's all the flight or fight mechanism. I tell students to start with something simple to allow the rush to pass.

Here's an idea: take lots of time tuning on stage.

March 24, 2017 at 06:19 PM · Bud, sounds like your piano teacher is experienced with Alexander Technique.

March 24, 2017 at 06:57 PM · Years ago, for a training workshop, I put together a 3-step, simple relaxation method that overlaps with some of the above. Here's what I wrote then. Try it.

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Step 1. Pay attention to your feet and toes, which are almost always relaxed. And those few times when they’re not relaxed? What do we do? We wiggle our feet and toes to get the tension out, and then we simply forget about them. But this time, notice all of those very normal, ever-present sensations that we usually pay little attention to and do not even have names for. Typically, these include a sense of warmth, a sense of numbness (particularly in the toes), and a feeling of tingling on the surface of the skin. Those are actually signs that relaxation is present. All you have to do is notice them. Do this for just a few seconds, just long enough to notice them and get a good sense of how they feel.

Step 2. Pay attention to other part of the body you usually pay no attention to – elbows, knees, hands. We usually don’t notice it, but even when our hands are busy and active, they are relaxed. Notice the same kinds of sensations of relaxation you noticed when paying attention to your feet and toes. When you get a clear feeling of that relaxation, no matter how minor it may seem, go on to Step 3.

Step 3. Pay attention to your own breathing. This does not mean to take a deep breath, but rather just pay attention to your normal, everyday breathing. Normal breathing – including an occasional shallow but very satisfying sigh – is actually relaxing, but we rarely pay attention to it. Notice the subtle differences (emotional as well as physical) between inhaling and exhaling. For most people, inhaling is experienced as a kind of collecting of tension, whereas exhaling is an experienced as a feeling of tension release and relaxation. And this happens on every single breath as long as you are alive.

That’s it. That’s all you have to do. You will notice that if you take these actual steps, which are simple and quick, you do feel more relaxed. It may not be deep relaxation and it may not seem very intense, but it is definitely relaxation. It also has caused you to decide what you will and will not pay attention to, which is an additional benefit.

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I hope that helps.

Sandy

March 24, 2017 at 07:24 PM · Bud, sounds like your piano teacher is experienced with Alexander Technique.

Very much so but this technique requires only what you read, so can be done straight away.

March 24, 2017 at 07:42 PM · A lots of good advices above. I also want to add that be careful who and what you talk to right before your performance. Some people will say things that will just "jinx" you. Some people may project their own fear on you and it can get to you even you know deep down you shouldn't listen to such nonsense.

That said, practice performance is the best way to deal with performance anxiety. Don't wait until everything is ready before going to perform. This is why I signed up to an informal recital at our local conservatory to perform at least twice/month of a pieces that I'm working on. Also, I gratuitously perform for my neighbors. When the weather warms up, I will open the window of my practice room to the whole world, so every minute of my practice is a performance. This was how I grew up hearing in my neighborhood in Shanghai. There was no air-condition so in summer, everyone had to open their windows and doors to get as much breeze as they can. You could hear everything people did inside the house, if you were nosy.

I begin to think that there is no such as thing that "one is not ready to perform"; there is a wide range of performances from very informal to the most scary formal ones we can imagine. One only needs to be ready for a specific occasion and the purpose of performance.

OP's concern is about the upcoming competition. Treat it as an opportunity to mature. It'll be a special brief moment that will benefit you for a long time. Good luck!

March 24, 2017 at 08:11 PM · Picking up on previous posters' input: Try to perform your material several times in public before the competition. After that, put it away for an interval and let it ripen. Get used to performing as often as you can. That did the trick for me. I still had a feeling of anticipation -- and that's good -- but not a problem with nerves.

If you can start your performances -- and, possibly, the competition -- with material that lets you attack the strings and burn off some adrenaline in the first minute or so, this can help, too. Example: unaccompanied bars at start of Tchaikovsky VC finale. On the other hand, starting with a piece like Meditation from Thais will easily betray a case of nerves.

About beta-blockers: Stay away from them -- unless you have a medical condition that requires them. When it comes to performance nerves, they don't get to the root of the problem. The "cure" is worse than the disease.

March 24, 2017 at 09:13 PM · I'm sorry, but beta blockers work great for many people. If a doctor approved them, there's no reason to not try them.

March 24, 2017 at 10:42 PM · Marty, I don't doubt that they work for you and some others -- since you reported using them. But some users report adverse side effects -- drowsiness, slowed heart rate, reduced circulation, cold hands, slowed reaction time. I, personally, would be far more afraid of these than I would be of the nervousness that I know from experience will dissipate in a couple of minutes.

So I know where you're coming from. I'm not about to try to change your mind on the subject. You're not about to change mine, either.

For the benefit of the wider audience, I will offer this link, which I found at the above-mentioned Bulletproof Musician website:

3 Reasons Why Beta Blockers Could Ultimately Hold You Back

March 24, 2017 at 11:14 PM · Drug or other substance should be the last resort. Here are some of the reasons why:

1. Performance is part of a long and difficult journey of musicianship, so it shouldn't be considered so special that it requires additional supplement or drug to achieve ultimate result.

2. Taking medication with positive result will only reinforce the dependence of medicine. What if one day this medicine is not available when you are asked to perform?

3. Just because doctor approves a drug, it's safe for everyone or to be used in long term. Every drug has potential risks. I was a nurse for a short period, but my husband (also a violinist) is a physician (a specialist in pathology) for nearly 30 years and he performed a lot as a chamber musician as well as solo. We are both against using Beta blockers for performance purpose, not because it's unsafe to use, but because it defeats the purpose of being a musician -- you love what you do and you learn what needs to be learned, such as dealing with your nerves via proper practice. The drug definitely robs certain opportunity to learn the skills of performance.

4. I've seen a few older people in community orchestras taking Beta Blockers and enjoyed their performance a great deal. I'm not going to argue with them because it's their choice. But if they recommend a young musician to use it, I'd step in and ask whether it is wise to start a young person on this path, which might become a habit for life.

March 25, 2017 at 03:01 PM · I am neither for nor against, but I'd like to point out that some well known soloists have relied on beta blockers for their careers.

For some people the manifestation of physical stage fright may require them.

I do not and have not taken them.

March 26, 2017 at 03:21 AM · Beta blockers will not fix all of problems but from my experience they have really helped calm my physical symptoms of nerves. My bow would shake and cause my arm to go stiff. I grew to hate performing because regardless of my mindset and positive intentions I could not create music. Since I have been taking them, my physical symptoms are largely gone and I can reasonably deal with excitement or nervous anticipation. It has certainly helped me as a musician, and in many cases encouraged me to perform without them. Beta blocker is sort of like training wheels for me. It does not solve the problem if you have the wrong mindset but takes away the physical part of nerves that for me stood in the way of learning how to perform.

March 26, 2017 at 12:18 PM ·

"How to calm down right before performing???"

Nothing,it's too late.

It's like asking how to fix a mistake that you make every time you practice, 2 minutes before the concert.

Stage fright needs to be practice way, way before a show. You need to practice instilling confidence while practicing the piece you will be playing.

How to instill confidence:

- accept mistakes

- have a, 'look at me mentality' instead of a 'don't look at me'

- be creative and bypass the stage fright memory with a new positive memory. Imagine something else that calms or excites the mind, but it usually needs to be an extreme thought to make the bypass work. Show off, roller coaster ride and new love thoughts are better than shyness, bike riding and like.